Global Warming Potential

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-012357",
  "term": "Global Warming Potential",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The cumulative radiative forcing effects of a gas over a specified time horizon resulting from the emission of a unit mass of gas relative to a reference gas. The GWP-weighted emissions of direct greenhouse gases in the U.S. Inventory are presented in terms of equivalent emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).\n\n2. The ratio of the warming caused by a substance to the warming caused by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. CFC-12, for example, has a GWP of 8,500, while water has a GWP of zero.\n\n3. A measure of how much heat a substance can trap in the atmosphere. GWP can be used to compare the effects of different greenhouse gases. For example, methane has a GWP of 21, which means over a period of 100 years, 1 pound of methane will trap 21 times more heat than 1 pound of carbon dioxide (which has a GWP of 1).\n\n4. A measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time (usually 100 years), compared to carbon dioxide.\n\n5. The index used to translate the level of emissions of various gases into a common measure in order to compare the relative radiative forcing of different gases without directly calculating the changes in atmospheric concentrations. GWPs are calculated as the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emissions of one kilogram of a greenhouse gas to that from the emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide over a period of time (usually 100 years). Gases involved in complex atmospheric chemical processes have not been assigned GWPs. See lifetime.\n\n6. A number that refers to the amount of global warming caused by a substance. The GWP is the ratio of the warming caused by a substance to the warming caused by a similar mass of carbon dioxide (CO2). Thus, the GWP of CO2 is 1.0. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12 has a GWP of 8,500; CFC-11 has a GWP of 5,000; hydrochlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons have GWPs ranging from 93 to 12,100; and water has a GWP of 0.",
  "abbreviation": "GWP",
  "subject": "Climate change",
  "references": [
    "State and Local Climate and Energy Program Glossary of Terms",
    "Terms of Environment",
    "Student's Guide to Global Climate Change",
    "Glossary of Climate Change Terms",
    "Greenhouse Gas Emissions",
    "Ozone Layer Protection Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/global-warming-potential/"
}